Poughkeepsie's Maddy Siegrist hard at work, handling stardom while readying for WNBA Draft

Geno Auriemma had brief conversations with Maddy Siegrist, usually following games, and the legendary UConn coach would mention to the Villanova star that he respected her game.

Siegrist assumed those were merely kind words expressed to a rival, almost perfunctorily.

That was, until an interview last week during which Auriemma listed her among the four best players he’s ever coached against.

“That’s such an honor coming from him, considering all his program has accomplished and the fact he’s one of the faces of women’s basketball,” Siegrist said of the venerated coach. “I knew he liked me a little, but no way did I think I’d be in his top four.”

Coincidentally, she might also be in the WNBA’s top four prospects, at least according to some mock drafts.

Siegrist, after leading the NCAA in scoring during a record-breaking season, is projected to be an early pick in league’s draft at 7 p.m. Monday. The Poughkeepsie native was among the players invited to the event at Spring Studios in Manhattan.

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“It’s been a dream of mine to play in the WNBA and my hope is to get picked in the first round,” she said. “But being taken with one of the top picks would be incredible; that’d be the icing on top.”

The 6-foot-2 forward declared for the draft after leading Villanova to its first Sweet 16 appearance since 2003, the senior forgoing an additional year of college eligibility.

A recent CBS Sports mock draft had Siegrist going fourth overall to the Washington Mystics. An ESPN version predicts she’ll go fifth to the Dallas Wings.

Thus far, she said, she has spoken to more than half the teams in the league as they conducted getting-to-know-you interviews with the prospects.

“It’s a little like the recruiting process, except you have no say in the outcome,” Siegrist told the Journal days before the draft. “But I’m more relaxed than nervous. You can’t get hung up on it because it’s out of your control at this point.”

A short list and the draft process

She will be the next in line of recent Dutchess County basketball players to reach a premier professional league, following Tyler Lydon and Elijah Hughes, who were NBA draft picks. Beacon baseball star Lenny Torres was a first-round pick of the Cleveland Indians in 2018.

Siegrist will be the first Hudson Valley resident drafted by the WNBA since Ossining’s Saniya Chong in 2017. The most prominent, perhaps, was Minisink Valley High School grad Stefanie Dolson, who was taken sixth in the 2014 draft. She won a championship with the Chicago Sky in 2021 and now plays for the New York Liberty.

The draft is being held a week after the national championship game and about a month before the WNBA season tips off. Given the quick turnaround and what for the athletes is a truncated offseason, the WNBA doesn’t require prospects to work out for teams or be tested at a combine.

Evaluations of the players are based heavily on their college performance along with a scouting projection of how their talents might translate to this level.

Siegrist averaged 29.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game, and shot 51% from the field. She was named an Associated Press All-American, won the Katrina McClain Award as the nation’s best power forward, and was a finalist for national Player of the Year.

She holds the Villanova University record for career points, set an NCAA record by scoring at least 20 in each of the Wildcats’ 37 games, and her 50-point eruption on Feb. 11 was the most points scored by a Division I player this season, men or women.

“It’s one thing to be successful in college, but great college players don’t always translate well to the pro game,” Siegrist acknowledged. “So, if they take you high (in the draft), it means they believe you can be an impact player.”

Siegrist described herself as a ‘tweener, a hybrid small forward and power forward. She shot 36.1% from three on 144 attempts this season. Given the size and skillset, she likely projects as a “stretch four” in the WNBA, a power forward whose perimeter abilities can be used to space the floor and create offensive mismatches.

“I’m doing a lot of shooting, ball-handling, and strength and conditioning work,” Siegrist said of the training since her college season ended two weeks ago. “I want to get better at everything, but ball-handling has been a big focus for me.”

'A hometown sports hero'

As much as she attempts to squeeze rest into the itinerary, her schedule since March has been a whirlwind. Much of her “down” time is occupied by appearances, award shows, interviews with WNBA executives, media obligations, and fielding what seems like a never-ending torrent of congratulatory calls and messages.

“It can get to be a little much,” she admitted, “but you try to stay true to yourself and remember that these are the things you’ve worked and prayed for.”

That platform has enabled her to give back to her hometown. Siegrist helped raise more than $43,000 to fund an expansion of the neonatal intensive care unit at Vassar Brothers Medical Center. Donations were solicited through a “Baskets for Babies” campaign during the NCAA Tournament.

“She’s truly a sweet person,” said Sarah Colomello, Manager of Community and Public Affairs at Nuvance Health, which operates Vassar. “When our foundation reached out, she brought the idea to her team and attached the entire team to the cause, as to not try to take the spotlight. It’s awesome to have someone like her as a hometown sports hero.”

Basketball fans in the area have followed Siegrist’s career since she starred at Our Lady of Lourdes High School, and they marveled at her ascension throughout college. Many of them will be geared up Monday evening, and tuned into ESPN, eagerly awaiting her name being called and learning where this fantastic basketball journey will take her next.

“I’m incredibly proud of everything she’s accomplished,” Lourdes girls basketball coach Al Viani said of his former pupil. “She came in as a 14-year-old and she was very raw and skinny, still learning the game and growing. But each year she got stronger and, with her work ethic, she just kept improving by leaps and bounds. We’ve seen her do that in college, continually getting better. I’m confident she can adjust her game and continue to evolve.”

Siegrist plans to attend the draft and she had an outfit picked out about a week in advance. As sports fans know, draft night ensembles usually are memorable… for one reason or another. (Youngsters, Google “2003 NBA draft suits.”)

“It’s not super flashy,” Siegrist said with a chuckle. “It’s not sparkly or anything like that. But it will pop.”

Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4826; Twitter: @StephenHaynes4

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Maddy Siegrist hard at work but 'relaxed' as prepares for WNBA draft